Easy Afternoon
by p020901
Summary: An easy afternoon between two friends. Tags: Future, Platonic (?) Lancaster. Note: editing errors fixed, no longer a wall of text now.


Easy Afternoon. An RWBY story

_Summary: _An easy afternoon between two friends.

_Tags: _Future, Platonic (?) Lancaster.

_Disclaimer_: RWBY belongs to the blessed Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth.

* * *

_It was an easy day._

The late afternoon skylight casted into the apartment through its windows painted everything in a shade of brown and orange. An aroma of tea and coffee lingered in the air, not clashing but intertwined. A scent that reminds one of fermented malt mixed together with a fruity, sweet smell, gentle citrus of roasted beans complemented by smoky herbs. Two ceramic cups sat on a coffee table in front of a long couch, their drinkers sitting in a quiet bundle of an oversized blanket.

_Warm eyes, warm laugh..._

A gentle laugh, a finger pointed at the channel on the TV screen in front. Eyes not quite watching what was on it, but instead locked as soft gazes in the orange twilight. No ring call interrupted, nor any blaring sirens -their scrolls were turned off, forgotten somewhere, leaving the room in a peaceful and tranquil quiet. Not silent, no; the TV was on, and the laughs that sprung up occasionally from rose-tinted lips and the little chuckles from curled up mouths couldn't be contained. Eyes twinkled at another story shared, another meaningless joke or idle chat - eyes basking in this fleeting moment of being alive.

..._Soft sheets, soft skin..._

The intimacy was carried on uncaring of any refrainations or suggestions of mind. Hands pulled the blanker over their heads closer to themselves, shoulders bumping as their bodies inched closer under the cover. Glances. Laughter, as they looked at what they're wearing.

He was dressed in a plain t-shirt, one that does not quite fit him at first glance and one that he had loudly protested getting into. She sure does like it more this way, much more than his usual, stuffy armor.

She was dressed in a pair of worn out crop-top and sleeping pants, one that had been resewn and refit more times than she could count. He doesn't mind it, even finding amusement in how she constantly tugged at the waist of her black top, teasing her how she had gotten fat.

She puffed her cheeks, pouting. Kicking the cackling mule in the face with her foot, of which made him bend backward, pulling the cover -with her still in it- with him. She growled, goosebumps raising from too much warmth as she fell on his chest. Swirming, struggling to get up and untie herself from the self-made bundle, albeit not really trying.

Their gears were stuffed away in a wooden cabinet on the far side of the room, forgotten and unremembered.

_Warm eyes, warm laugh..._

A few moments later and she relented, allowing him to wrap his arms around her in a warm embrace. Even finding herself pull closer to him. Growing content of her own circumstances.

_It felt very warm, here._

Time passed. Calm and even breaths interrupted by a low, warbling grumble coming from her stomach. A sly, teasing smirk. Blushing red cheeks, a shy laugh, frowns as they realized they had to break from this comfortable position. A stare, deciding on who would have to leave the warm cover and bring back food. Puppy-dog eyes versus iron-hard, unamused blue ones.

She kept his spot warm before he returned with two dishes in his hands. Yipping smiles, as she digs in - just before pausing, a puffing frown on her face.

"I'm not fat!"

She really isn't. She has grown taller since that peptalk in the hallway, she reminded him. Taller!

Still as childish as ever, tho, as he quickly pointed out. With her pouty puppy eyes.

As payback, she took the cookie from his plate.

The afternoon meal vanished quickly thereafter, leaving behind unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink as they curled up back together in front of the TV.

Relaxed.

Content.

_Free_.

They are on a break.

* * *

_The world was fire._

Fire soothed. Fire burned.

_The Fire that men and faunus started from, and the fire that will end them._

It is burning. Right now, in the inner eyes of one man.

Rage. _The fire that has took away everything he has. Argus. Verden. Vale, Beacon, Haven, too many other places he can't recall._

Passion. _The fire that has forged him into who he is, bellowing inside furnace of his heart. Grim determination fuelling hearts of men, as they marched onward, ever and always._Hope. _The fire he shares, right now, under the darkness of thousand years woods. A fire that has kept burning, for as long as men have walked this earth..._

It is not scorching.

Embers fly out of the fire as a small stick poke at it, stoking ash back into flame. A dim fire in the dark, flickering with every life's breath.

As darkness encroached around them, with the chitters and howls of the night.

_Darkness strangling hope. Darkness corrupting passion, until all is left is senseless anger.__Darkness like Verden, like the Shade above their heads._

_Darkness that was_ stopped. _By this small light between them._

Silvers met with blues over the lit light. Mirrors reflecting the fire between them.

Stoking the fire.

_The fire that may grow to something larger, but doesn't need to.__The fire kept lit, ever and always._

* * *

Biological alarm clock blared, greatly annoying a man whose mornings when he is not awoken by something elses being so rare.

..._and it was such a good sleep, too_...

Blue eyes creeked open, almost peeking outside of his eyelids. It wasn't the scene of a morning after, but a rather small and cramped couch with him being its lone occupant. His back ached as he sat up, stretching himself free of the indulgent sleepiness remaining in him.

...a tiny wanting feeling lingering just beneath his conscious mind, almost impossible to describe. Before it was washed away as his head craned over the sofa's back, and greeted with a most beautiful sight: A cheerful smile beaming with simple, childish joy.

"Hey, you're awake." His tired yawn became a smile directed back at the early riser, especially as she held out a ceramic full of a particularly aromatic black liquid to him. "Coffee?" She offered.

"...Long as you did't put anything weird in it, of course." He slyly shot her back a teasing smile as he raised his hand up and took it. It felt weird and strangely easy to move without his chest piece.

Raising the cup full of the steaming black liquid to his lips, he took a whiff. And became hesitant. Indeed it smelled quite like coffee... quite like it...

"Just try it!" Her head cocked to one side in a figure that simply radiated '_innocence_' and '_honesty_'... eerily so...

Eyes still locked on his friend, he took in a testing sip of the bitter liquid.

"D'ya like it?" She smiled.

"Mmh... what is this?" It's a bit strange, but not in a bad way, he has to admit. He took a full gulp of the liquid.

"It's a blend of black tea and coffee!" Which was exactly what she had bee waiting for.

"Mhm-_Pftph_-?!" He choked, hacking and coughing as the liquid was half-way down his stomach when it was forced out the opposite way it came in a mist of black and brown.

Her cute/devilish giggles filled the room.

"W...what?! Yo-you-!" He blurted out between his coughs, cuff of his hand wiping away some of the liquid dripping from his chin and nostrils. All of the sleepiness had been expunged from his mind now, as he stared at her like she had announced some earth-shattering news.

"Oh come on. It's a traditional Mistrali brew. Thought you will be the one to like it." She giggled. Her grin was very, very cheeky.

"But I _hated_ that!" He protested. "I ran away from home for a reason, you know!"

"Yes, like emulating your great-great-grandpa. Who as we both know just absolutely _loves_ this thing." She snidely giggled, in a decidedly very uncute way. To which Jaune Arc scowled, sternly glaring back.

"Unlike my great-great-grandfather I like my tea and my coffee _seperated,_ thank you very much."

"Either way you're cleaning the mess up, Jauny." She stuck out her tongues. His eye twitched, and her eyes turned all googly and puppy-like. A puppy that knows it could get away with anything, he might add.

Knowing that didn't make it any more possible for him to argue back however. With a great, acted out sigh he proceeded to clean up as his friend turned away to resume cooking something. Pancakes, he guessed from the smell.

"...Sorry if I woke you last night." She spoke up from over the kitchen counter. "You were hogging up the space and, ugh, you snored."

"Nah, nah, it's fine." He nodded absentmindedly, squatting next to the puddle of black liquid as he cleaned up. "In fact, I haven't slept so well in a while."

"I see." He could hear her smile from down here. It is only the truth, nothing elses.

Finishing with cleaning, he set the brown-stained dishcloth into the sink, and rinsed it in running tap water. The amber-brown liquid sloshed out as he squeezed, running through his fingers before ambly wafting and diffuse in the current for a moment before disappearing down the drain. The stain was only slightly faded than before, and he rinsed it again.

_Still very much brown and amber-like._

He rinsed the dishcloth again in cold water.

_Still so stained..._

Again!

"-eh, Jaune, what are you doing using a dishcloth to clean up coffee stains?" Suddenly, Ruby was at his side, taking hold of his hands to stop him from obsessively scrubbing the dishcloth.

"...Uh... I was cleaning?" He blinked, slowly, his slightly diverted gaze brought him a chiding look from the woman.

"Sigh. You are just a dunkle head sometimes, Jauny." She frowned, even as the corner of her frown tipped upwards.

"...well, sorry again." He chuckled quietly, his eyes slightly glazed but not unfocused as she took his hands, her lithe fingers nimbly guide him over what to do.

Soon, the dishcloth was washed clean of the dark-colored stain. The knight marveled at the white foam running through their fingers for a long moment, before his thoughts were once more interrupted by Ruby.

"...See? Clean as new." Her lips slightly quirked upwards, and so did his.

"...Thanks. And sorry again." He paused. His friend only offered him a knowing, kind smile, and a slap on his backside.

"Back to work, Jauny, chop chop! Lay down the table, will ya?" She grinned, breaking the somber mood by hushing him to do her biddings. He gave her a sly, pointed look, which she only returned with another playful slap on his shoulder.

Was it unnecessary and presumptous to set out a table for pancakes? Yes.

Was it a welcomed distraction? Yes, too.

He quickly set the dishes, napkins and utensils out on the grand table taking up an astonishingly large space of the tiny flat. Years of hastily gobbling down meals in the woods and in between battles still hadn't scrubbed out basic etiquettes from him, it seems as every seat in the grand table was set out in a manner that a certain someone's critical glare could only end in an accepting nod - even if only two people would use it. Oh well.

He stood back and stared at his work, on his lips a self-satisfied smile. The minor satisfactions of a job well done causing him to stand straighter, and for a moment Jaune Arc's mind allowed him to just stand there, and listen.

The sizzling pops of pancake paste on pan. The softly humming song on the huntress' lips. Humming oven, and his own breaths.

For a tiny, tiny moment he could hear so much more, raucous laughters and so many other voices. The knight pulled in another breath. There was a faint aroma of ramen in the air.

There was a soft rustle of fabrics, and the buttery smell of pancakes overcame the memory of salted pork and soft boiled eggs. He glanced over at his side.

"...Lemme guess. Ramen?" She smiled, a small, longing smile.

"Mhmm." He nodded.

_Clink_. The woman placed the ceramic plate towering with pancakes down, melted butter and red oak sap slowly dripping down the stacks' impressive height.

"Well, we haven't had any for a long time. The last time all of us met... was what? 3? 4 years ago?"

His brows briefly crested. A nod.

Wood creaked on wood as they sat down. It almost sounded like the creeks deep inside his bones.

It wasn't as if they hadn't met a single time after it was over, just... His eyes fell over a few of the empty seats.

-He had not begun contemplating the meaning of life when his mouth was suddenly stuffed with pancakes.

"-_M_mh?!" He blinked in surprise, staring down at a spoon and an out-stretched arm connected to a body all but crawling on the table as she reached over to him, a deathly serious expression on her face. His mouth slightly drooped open, about to comment on how ridiculous it looked.

"Just bite. And chew." Silver eyes sharply commanded, giving him no ground to argue back.

Bite, and chew. "This is..." The silver stare held. Butter and flour melted in his mouth. "...Quite good."

Satisfied, Ruby retrieved her wayward spoon and sat back down on her seat; the serious expression disappearing like it never had been there as she began tearing into her plate, starting at the empty gap where a lot more than a spoonful of pancakes had been.

"...Wut? Dwid'ja douwb wme?" She grinned after a few moments, when her mouth was full of food.

He stared at her for a second, floundered by the rapid shift before simply deciding to gloss over it, raising an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth in response. "...after the trick you pulled with the coffee?"

Chew. Swallowed. "It was a Mistrali blend." She insisted, a peeved look - utterly failing to hide the mischief just below. A chuckle rumbled in his chest, which turned into two hearty laughs.

There was a lull as they continued eating.

"...Say, Ruby?"

"Mmhm?"

"It has been a while since all of us met. What do you think if we have everyone over for a meal?"

There was a brief silence. She appeared to be lost in thoughts for a few moments before a sly, inexplicable smile crept up her lips.

"'We', Jaune?"

"Well, Yang's definition of a reunion usually consists of too much alcohol to be good for health, as is Nora with 'fun'... and you don't want to leave it to Weiss, do you?" He smirked. His friend blinked, eyes glazed over as she became very silent for a full minute before breaking into a shiver.

"..._Brrr_... Yeah. Definitely NOT."

"But still..." she started again, (jokingly) glaring at him. "Really stretching your welcome a bit far there..." she warned. Neither of them wanted to deal with the aftermath of every reunion.

"I'll make cookies." He offered his trademark grin.

Just as predicted, her eyes widened and _sparkled_ almost instantly upon hearing those four words. But still, before the thin line of drool forming at the corner of her hanging mouth could decide for her, she rapidly shook her head, snapping out of the trance she was in. Shooting him a (much less humorous) glare.

"...are you trying to bribe me, Jaune?"

"Extra chocolate chips." He grinned.

The reunion will be held at Ruby Rose's home, it was decided.

"Jerk!"

Even if Ruby Rose continued to grumble afterwards, it seemed.

Soon, they finished the truly colossal stack of pancakes, and cleaned up. Loading everything (including last night's) into the dishwasher, he pressed the start button before crashing down the couch next to Ruby, whom were leaned back with a completely satisfied look.

"Aaaahnn... this is the life..." she moaned breathlessly. The corner of his lips slightly raised upwards along with one of his eyebrows.

"What? Unhealthy food and being a couch potato?" He slyly smiled. "It's a pretty nice morning, you sure you don't want to go out and stretch your legs a little?"

Her dainty legs slightly shook, a slight scowl on her lips as she muttered.

"...Don't remind me of that... I've had enough of stretching my legs and Grimm, thank you very much..." A groan escaped her lips, clearly irritated by the feelings she was referring to. "Now I just wanna stay in... Go ahead if you want..."

"No..." His brows scrunched up. It was his turn to, it seemed. "Going out to the city right now for me would just... urgh..."

Ruby snorted a laugh, but her quick glance to his side was warmer.

"Couch potatoes?" She smiled, reaching an arm over his neck and slightly nudged.

"Couch potatoes." He agreed. Stretching his arm over her shoulder and pulled her in.

Her skin was cold. But she was breathing. So that's good.

"Brr. You're so hot." She mewed. For such a dog person Ruby can sometimes act remarkably like a cat.

"Like Weiss?" A corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

"Nope. She's hotter." Ruby muttered without much thought. A sly smile appeared where the small smirk had been on his lips.

"...So, are we talking about skin temperature here or...?"

She flustered. "Of course it's temperature."

"I dunno... Weiss _IS_ pretty hot." He chuckled teasingly, to which the flusters on her face only reddened even more.

"-y-you..." she sputtered slightly, glaring bullets at him. "_Shad'up_."

"Mmh." Another chuckle rumbled in his chest. He didn't get kicked away, however, and the two of them were content with just sitting there.

Doing nothing.

Not even bothering to turn the TV on.

A faint smell of roses lingered in the air, overcoming that of steel and burnt Dust.

* * *

It's past midnight. Jaune Arc was sitting out in the garden. Ruby was not with him.

They had gone out and 'stretch their legs a little' earlier. A trip into town, some fun hampered slightly by him being an over-paranoid wreck, but still fun.

She did end up needing a shower after the little race they had across the city, however.

Now he was staring up at the stars. His back laying on the wet green grass.

The grass here is indeed a little less green than in Glenn. No way in hell is he returning there, however.

The green tickled at his clothed back, not through an inch-thick set of plate.

It's not a bad feeling.

He breathed in. The air didn't taste like smoke.

His thoughts slowing. Fragmented.

As he gazed at the stars.

Unfinished words tickled at the back of his mind.

Age seeping through his bones.

The past rushing back to his mind like a rampaging Ursa.

_Childish dreams. Unforgotten hope. A forested clearing shone on by the broken moon. _Look! That star! It's twinkling at us, isn't it!

_A pool of red and black spreading on soaked dirt. It was raining. The sky was black with smoke and tar. _Jaune... See the stars... for me... would... you...?

A blink. Stars twinkled in the early spring sky.

The cool midnight air tasted like Dust in his mouth.

There was a soft sound of grass rustling.

He tensed up, swinging his head sharply to where the sound came from, not loosening when it's a familiar shape clad in black and red. "-Ruby."

"Shh. Don't shout." She chuckled, softly chiding him.

She sat down next to him, before she leant back. Letting the green grass tickle the bare skin above the black crop top she wore.

"It tickles." She giggled. "Come on. Lay down with me, would you."

He obeyed. His vision once more was filled with Remnant's night sky.

"I never really liked stars you know." He found himself admiting.

"Hmm? Why, then?" She rolled over, staring at him with a mischevious, inquisitive glint in her silver eyes.

He found it hard to put his thoughts into words.

"Well, I did use to love them."

"Mmh?" She pried him to go on.

"Me and Jean. When we were still kids, Dad used to train us a little."

"Little?" She smiled. "You barely knew anything when you entered Beacon."

"Well yeah, he mostly trained us in cardio and stuffs. Huntsman prep, those kinda things. I was six, she was five."

"I don't know, when I was six I did kick my first Grimm ass..." She teased, cocking a playful smirk.

"You're special." He huffed, rolling his eyes. It didn't stop a wry smile from forming on his lips as he saw her laugh heartily.

"...Well, back to where I was." He chuckled. "There used to be a small clearing behind our house, where dad took us out for practice every night. Run in laps, climbing trees and all that - With the condition that we manage to sneak out unnoticed by Mom. And let me tell you, she wasn't the best scout in her time for nothing."

"I can certainly see that." She smiled wryly, certainly remembering the times when _she_ had been surprised by his sudden appearances. The sly smile on his lips grew a little, before it became a wistful, saddened sigh, and he gazed back up to the broken moon. His lips crooking downwards.

"We did all that under starry skies such as this, whenever Dad wasn't away. Until..."

"Until...?" Her eyes became unreadable as she caught on.

"Until one day, he didn't return."

"We waited for him. Starry nights after starry nights. Dad never came home." He pushed himself upright with his arms, turning to offer her a hand. She took it. "I was eight then."

Neither of them spoke anything for a while.

"...Twenty years ago. That was around Glenn, wasn't it?" She slowly started.

"Yeah." He nodded absentmindedly, eyes glazing off over the mountain range of Vale. "Mom didn't want to talk about it. It was until a few months ago that I knew for sure."

"The Glenn reclaimation." Her eyebrows furrowed. He nodded.

Grass and fabric rustled. He found himself wrapped in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Jaune." Her chin pressed to the crook of his neck. Her skin was cool and soothing.

"Hey, no need to be sorry about that." He crooked a weak smile. "After all, you did tell me yours... a long time ago. It's only fair that I tell you too."

Her hands and arms retracted, and her gaze fell. It suddenly felt so much colder than with her there.

"But I _am_..."

Her silver eyes turned up to stare at the night sky.

"All those years ago... If I had stopped you then..."

"What do you mean?" He asked warrily, his lips crooking downwards. Her eyes fell, and locked with his. On her face a sad smile.

"Your training. All those midnight lessons with only Pyrrha as a memory. See?" His brows furrowed at her sudden question at the end, following her gaze to the tumble of grass clenched up in his tightened fist. _Oh_. "You still tense up whenever someone mention her name."

"...I can say the same to you, Ruby." He quietly spoke, as he stared up and gazed into her eyes. "I should have seen - no, I _knew,_ I should have just spoken up." Startled, her hand subconsciously moved up to touch her elbow. "Even now you're still forcing yourself to smile, aren't you?"

"...Only partially, Jaune."

"Tell me then." His blue eyes stared into her silvers. Demanding the truth from her.

"...You can't tell?"

"That we won?" He hesitatedly answered, his brows furrowed in thought.

"No, dummy." She shook her head. Her hand touched his chest, placing over his heart. Her other hand guided his one to do the same, placing over her heart.

For a moment, all they did was feel the rhythmic beat of eachothers' hearts, listening to their shared, continued breaths.

"...That we are alive." He answered.

"That we are _living_." She smiled. A smile both sad and hopeful.

Their eyes met. For a tiny, tiny but not unnoticed moment, they so wished that they weren't just friends.

But even that wouldn't fill the empty spaces left behind on that table, nor bring back the one that never got a seat there.

Powered by that thought, he tore his eyes away and let his hand fell back to the side of his body. Her hand retracted from his heart, her saddened gaze not finding his.

They stood awkwardly in the garden as a chilly breeze rolled by their forms.

"...It's getting cold. Let's get inside." She quietly said, her arms folded over her chest as she shivered. He followed her inside.

As they fell asleep by the sofa once again, he was blessed with a thankfully dreamless sleep.


End file.
